The presence of dysthymia (long-term depression) in a spouse triples the risk of divorce. This statistic is a powerful reminder of the far-reaching effects of mental illness on relationships.
Sadly, one of those reasons is when the other spouse suffers from mental illness. Studies have shown that people who suffer from mental illness have a higher rate of divorce. One study that was conducted in 2011 actually put that divorce rate increase at between 20 to 80 percent.
Lack of Commitment Is the Most Common Reason for Divorce
In fact, 75% of individuals and couples cited lack of commitment as the reason for their divorce.
Couples going through their first divorce are around the age of 30. Married couples between the ages of 20 to 25 are 60% likely to get a divorce. Black women divorce at a higher rate (38.9%) than women of any other race. The military divorce rate is 3% on average.
In relationship terms, The Four Horsemen are Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness and Stonewalling.
What are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? The Four Horsemen are four communication habits that increase the likelihood of divorce, according to research by psychologist and renowned marriage researcher John Gottman, Ph. D. Those four behaviors are criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling, and contempt.
Nearly 70 percent of divorces are initiated by the wife. In addition, over 50% of divorced wives never want to remarry while only about 30% of men express that same sentiment. Seeing as most divorces are initiated by women, men can use this statistic to make sure they are being mindful of their wives' needs and wants.
While there are countless divorce studies with conflicting statistics, the data points to two periods during a marriage when divorces are most common: years 1 – 2 and years 5 – 8. Of those two high-risk periods, there are two years in particular that stand out as the most common years for divorce — years 7 and 8.
The average length of a first marriage in the United States clocks in at seven years. Most of those people get married for a second time, which can also end in divorce. Second marriages have a 60% chance of ending, and third marriages have a 73% chance of divorce. The odds increase the more marriages someone has.
Domestic Violence or Emotional Abuse
Domestic violence is one of the most leading reasons for divorce in Australia. It is a serious issue that can have a significant impact on the lives of those affected. Moreover, the Family Law Act recognises the importance of protecting victims of domestic violence.
The crude divorce rate (divorces per 1,000 Australian residents) was 2.2 divorces per 1,000 residents in 2021, up from 1.9 in 2020. The total number of divorces granted in 2021 was 56,244, the highest number of divorces recorded since 1976.
Age group: Young adults ages 18 to 25 in the U.S have the highest rate of experiencing mental health conditions (30.6%), followed by those ages 26 to 49 (25.3%) and adults ages 50 and over (14.5%).
Borderline Personality Marriage Statistics
By an average age of about 40, the divorce rate for people with BPD is around 35%, and this is comparable to the divorce rate for the average U.S. citizen.
The majority of marriages involving a spouse with bipolar disorder will, ultimately, end in divorce. The answer to the question above should, ultimately, be “yes.” However, I feel that society takes too broad of a stroke when concluding that bipolar disorder leads to divorce.
Whether accepted or not, there is one fact that cannot be disputed. And that is that women initiate divorce more often than men on average. Numerous studies have shown this. In fact, nearly 70 percent of divorces are initiated by women.
Grey Divorce is the term referring to the rising rate in older adults, typically from long-lasting marriages, getting divorced. The term was coined as research showed the phenomenon of the overall divorce rate going down while the “grey-haired” demographic's rate of late-in-life divorce was on the rise.
The seven-year itch or 7-year itch refers to the notion that divorce rates reach their height around the seven-year mark of commitment. While this concept has been widely disputed, it is a concern that plagues many if they start experiencing marital issues seven years into their relationship.
Women are more likely to initiate separation than men
Of these unilateral separations, 69 per cent were wife initiated and 31 per cent were husband initiated.
While the stereotype is that women are the ones who want to get married, the truth is that they are one who want to get divorced when things aren't going right. In fact, studies show that 70% of divorces are initiated by women. When accounting for just college-educated women, that figure jumps up to 90%.
According to a survey, 39% of men regret being divorced. But it is not as simple as it seems. This statistic has many layers to it – for example, a man who has committed marital wrongdoing that triggered the divorce may regret the event, but a man who has been wronged during the marriage may not regret it.
Stonewalling, one of the Four Horsemen, is Dr. John Gottman's term for one or both partners shutting down when feeling overwhelmed during conflict. Rather than confronting the issue, someone who is stonewalling will be unresponsive, making evasive maneuvers such as tuning out, turning away, or acting busy.
John Gottman noticed in his research that when couples conflict escalated it was not only their words, tone, and volume that escalated it was also their heart rates and the amount of stress hormones being secreted. We call this Flooding or Diffuse Physiological Arousal.
Here are some of the signs of stonewalling to look out for: They walk out in the middle of a conversation without warning or explanation. They refuse to talk about or give reasons not to talk about an issue. They dismiss your concerns.